Friction-clutch.



UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFICE.

ALFRED soDERLINe, oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 724,749, dated April 7, 1903.

Application iiled August 2, 1902.

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED SODERLING, a citizen of the United States, residing a Chicago, in the county of"Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, of which' the following is a specication.

My invention has relation to frictionclutches; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter described.

The object of my invention is to provide a friction-clutch of simple construction and positive operation, the clutch being so constructed as to transmit rotary motion from a shaft to a pulley loosely journaled on the shaft, the clutch being provided with parts having annular surfaces forming jaws which grip between them an auxiliary plate or ring carried by the pulley. Thus the friction-surface is distributed over a large area.

The principal features of my invention reside in a series of links and levers connected to the said jaws for manipulating the same by the lateral movement of a collar carried by the shaft. Y y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional lview .of the clutch, showing-one form of the links and levers. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the links and levers as used in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a face view of an annulus, partlyin section, which'is used upon the inner jaw of the clutch. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of'the.clutch, showing a modified View of the links and levers; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the links and-levers as used in Fig. 4.

The pulleyl: is loosely journaled on the. shaft 2. The periphery of the pulley is provided With the ordinary belt-surface The spokes or web 4, connecting lthe rim of the pulley with the hub of the same, are located to one side of the middle of therim, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. To the right-hand edge of the rim of the pulley isattached an annular plate or ring 5, said ring orV plate having a central opening 6, through-which one of the jawsof the clutch mechanism (hereinafter described) and the shaft 2 passes. The sides of the plate 5 about the opening 6 are provided with an annular ring 7, the outer faces of which form the friction-surfaces against Serial No. 118,098. (No model.)

which thejaws of the clutch mechanism are adapted to operate.

Said rings 7 may be made of wood or any other suitable material. The sleeve 8 is keyed to the shaft 2, the inner end of said sleeve being provided with an annular clutch-j aw 9,Which passes through f the opening 6 of theplate 5 and is adapted to engage the face ofthe inner ring 7. The sleeve 10 is keyed to the sleeve 8. The inner end of the said sleeve 10 is provided with an annular jaw 11, which'is adapted to engage the face of the outer ring 7.

It will be observed that the sleeve 8 may be moved longitudinally along the shaft 2, and the sleeve 10. may be moved longitudinally along the sleeve 8, and a means is provided for moving the said sleeves simultaneously in opposite directions, whereby the clutch-jaws 9 and 11 are made to engage or disengage the rings 7. p Y

The levers 12 are fulcrumed between the lugs 14 of the sleeve 10. The inner ends of the said levers 12 are pivotally connected, by means of the links 15, with the annulus 16 carried bythe jaw 9 of the sleeve 8. The outer ends of the lever 12 are connected, by

means of the links 17, to the sliding collar 18,

located' on the shaft 2. -A suitable means (not shown) may be provided for sliding the 5 shaft 2, and consequently the inner ends of the said levers l2 move toward the said shaft.

Thus through the links 15 the clutch-jaw 11 is forced against the outer ring 7, and simultaneously the clutch-jaw 9 is drawn against the inner ring 7, and the friction thereby created transmits rotary motion from the shaft 2 through the clutch mechanism to the pulley 1. By reversing the operation above described the clutch-jaws 9 and 11 are made to disengage the ring 7, and the transmission of the rotary motion above referred to is interrupted.

The difference in construction of the mechanisms as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 resides in the levers 12. As shown in Fig. 1 a straight lever is used, with the links pivoted at equal IOO distances from the fulcru'ined point, while in Fig. 4t a curved lever is used, with the links pivoted at different distances from the fnlcrumed point. By using the form of the invention as shown in Fig. 2 the clutch-jaws may be made to engage the ring 7 with greater force, for the reason that one end of the lever is longer than the other, and consequently a greater amount of leverage is afforded, the curve in the lever 12 making the parts more compact and having a tendency to strengthen the lever, for the reason that the strain is inclined to be along the length of the lever rather than laterally across the same.

Having described 1ny invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A friction-clutch consisting of a pulley jonrnaled on a shaft, a plate having an open center attached to said pulley, telescoping sleeves carrying clutch-jaws adapted to engage the opposite sides of said plate, a curved lever fulcrumed to the sleeve of the outer ALFRED SODERLING.

Witnesses:

PETER AIKMAN, HENRY SODERLING. 

